I have two K3s. One was a kit the other factory built. I really did not get much out of building the kit. It is simple, all mechanical, and some stages require caution. FYI I am a 74 year old retired EE with lots of bread boarding and kit experience. Also I have a KX3 which I bought factory build as well my KAT500 George, W6GF
________________________________ From: Dyarnes <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, May 27, 2013 9:59 AM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Kit or factory assembled K3? Dick, My first inclination would be to say "do the kit". As others have said, it's not terribly difficult--more assembly than anything, and you just put it together piece by piece. Perhaps the most laborious part of the process is doing a careful inventory of the parts, and arranging them logically so you put the right screw in the right hole! As one guy once said to me about assembling the K3, "if you can pump gas, you can put this together!" An exaggeration, and he was joking of course, but he was primarily being complimentary to the very excellent engineering that went into this rig. However, you add the admonition about your age, which should give me, or anyone else, some hesitancy. The fact you are even contemplating the kit suggest to me that your age is not a terribly limiting factor. I know lots of folks in that age range who could do this kit nicely, and hopefully you fit that category. The main thing would be decent eyesight. You have to be reasonably careful to make sure you align pins into connectors, etc. So, with due respect to your years, and knowing my eyesight isn't as good as it once was, I would at least give you that caution. There is no soldering involved, and all the parts fit nicely together--some take a little coaxing, but they do fit neatly. I compare this project, somewhat, to putting a computer together from the various boards and large components. It's probably a little more complex than that, primarily due to the close fitting of components, but with care and patience, it works. I would urge you to go through the assembly manual, which is available online, and see if anything jumps out at you as being potentially problematic. Also, you could always get a 2nd pair of eyes to follow along as you do it, which would greatly reduce the chance for any problems. It's rewarding to do stuff like this yourself, but then again, it doesn't make a lot of sense to be "penny wise and pound foolish." If you have been doing any "constructing" lately, I'd guess it would be no problem. Otherwise, see what you think based on the manual. Dave W7AQK ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net/ Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
